Chapter 27: Let Her Wash If She Wants.
With only one travel permit, Little Mute still hid himself and followed the Princess into the inn.
Zhao Rongzhang regretted her usual disdainful attitude toward those golden hairpins and jade rings. She had always found them troublesome, disliking elaborate hairstyles and makeup, and had never even pierced her ears. Now, as she searched her person, she truly had few items that could be exchanged for money. Aside from a couple of scattered hair ornaments and a pair of jade bracelets, the most valuable things on her were her Su Embroidery and Shu Embroidery brocade garments, handkerchiefs, and embroidered shoes.
Not far from the inn was a pawnshop. Zhao Rongzhang first had Little Mute cut off the embroidered patch of Fish Frolicking Among Lotus Leaves from her handkerchief, then clutched it in her hand and entered, handing it through the shop window for the shopkeeper to appraise. Zhao Rongzhang watched the shopkeeper intently as he felt the embroidery a couple of times and exclaimed exaggeratedly, “Hmm! Gold-thread Su Embroidery! Fine work.”
He knew his goods. Zhao Rongzhang raised her chin proudly. Her skin had never touched anything but the finest silks and satins; anyone daring to present her with something coarse or lacking aesthetic appeal to sully her eyes would have had the palace’s head eunuch punished severely by Emperor Father. The shopkeeper asked with a smile, “One tael of silver, I’ll take it.”
One tael of silver? Zhao Rongzhang had no concept of money, but when she entered the inn earlier, the waiter had said the best room cost three hundred wen per night. One thousand wen could be exchanged for one tael of silver, so one tael could cover three nights in a superior room? That seemed reasonable, didn’t it? She was satisfied with the price, but of course, getting more would be better, so she bargained, “Two taels.”
“Deal!”
The man didn’t haggle as she had expected, nor did he try to lower the price further. Instead, he picked up a brush, lowered his head, and swiftly wrote in the ledger. An assistant followed by pulling out a piece of broken silver from a cabinet, placed it on a small steelyard to weigh it for her, and after weighing, handed it over with both hands, beaming, “Miss, please take it.”
Watching as the embroidered patch was already being put away, Zhao Rongzhang stared at the silver and thought to herself, this is bad—I’ve been cheated. It must have been sold too cheaply; otherwise, why would he have agreed so readily?
It was just an embroidered patch. The fire at the Princess’s Mansion had likely burned hundreds of such handkerchiefs. Cheap or not, it was too late to regret it now. Moreover, pawnshops couldn’t accept items from the palace; discovery carried the risk of losing one’s head. This place was remote, and the shopkeeper hadn’t recognized it. If he had, he probably wouldn’t have dared to take it.
Zhao Rongzhang took the silver and returned to the inn, requesting a superior private room. When she eagerly lifted her skirt, ran upstairs to the guest room, and pushed the door open with a candle in hand, she was assaulted by a pungent, low-quality incense smell. The Princess’s smile faltered halfway. The room was sparsely furnished and shabby—how dare the waiter boast about it! Unaware of the young lady’s displeased expression, the waiter emphasized that all items in the room were washed after each guest, ensuring cleanliness. He then specifically pointed to the chamber pot beside the screen, saying that even it was washed daily with scented water mixed with water, guaranteeing no unpleasant odors.
The bed was a carved bed, but upon closer inspection, two distinct drops of mosquito blood were visible on the blue gauze bed curtain. Zhao Rongzhang already felt uncomfortable all over. Even the worst, most dilapidated post station she had stayed in was never this bad! At the very least, none had been this filthy.
The waiter pulled out a chair, wiped off the dust on it, and eagerly asked what the young lady would like to eat in the evening. He also inquired if she’d like to spend a little extra to have a bucket of hot water brought up for a comfortable bath before sleeping.
Zhao Rongzhang could bear it no longer and walked out, saying, “I won’t stay here. I’ll go check elsewhere.”
“Hey, miss! Do you think it’s too expensive, or are you dissatisfied with the room? If it’s about the price, there’s nothing we can do—the beams used in this private room are different from others, made from century-old willow wood sourced from the riverbank. We really can’t make it any cheaper. If you’re dissatisfied with the room, oh dear, you’ll have a hard time finding another. This town is small, and mine is the only inn on the street. If you walk about ten miles east, you might find a second one, but that’s just a common dormitory—stinky feet and foul mouths, absolutely disgusting. Judging by your appearance, you probably couldn’t sleep there, right?”
Exhausted, sleepy, and hungry, Zhao Rongzhang snapped impatiently, “If you’re afraid I’ll cancel the room, then replace everything inside with brand-new items! Especially the things that come into direct contact with me—you must bring new ones and let me inspect them personally.”
Who knew where this pampered young lady had run off from, with such a terrible temper. The waiter consulted the innkeeper and brought new bedding, quilts, and pillows from the storeroom. But that wasn’t enough—she demanded new tea sets, a new incense burner, a new copper basin for washing her face, and even a new screen that wouldn’t even touch her skin. In the sweltering heat, the waiter ran up and down the stairs, attending only to her, and his expression soured from exhaustion. A crowd gathered upstairs and downstairs to watch the commotion.
Zhao Rongzhang paid no mind to any of this. She ordered lamps to be lit in all four corners of the room, then strode in and sat down, ordering three plates of stir-fried dishes and a pot of fine tea. As she was eating, hot water was boiled and brought up. Zhao Rongzhang told the waiter to close the door on his way out and then called for Little Cat to bolt the door securely.
The portions were small, lightly seasoned with oil and salt, and the flavors were rough—just enough to fill her stomach. Zhao Rongzhang thought it wasn’t as good as the fish or rabbit Little Mute had roasted. But she was truly hungry, and after two bowls of rice, there wasn’t much left of the dishes. Zhao Rongzhang had Little Mute pour the remaining rice into a plate and mix it with the leftover sauce to eat first. She leaned close to the door and called for the waiter to bring two more plates of dishes. The waiter responded with an “Aye,” his voice sounding as if he were downstairs. With such poor soundproofing, how dare they boast! Zhao Rongzhang cursed the place as a scam in her heart.
No matter what, she still had to make sure Little Mute ate his fill.
When the new dishes arrived, the plates and bowls were emptied in no time. Zhao Rongzhang asked, “Are you full?”
Little Mute nodded.
“Attend to my bath. I’m exhausted.”
Zhao Rongzhang slumped back in her chair, legs casually spread apart, signaling for him to start by helping her undress.
Guan Xuan was more often subjected to having his clothes torn open by the Princess when she forced herself on him. As for the Princess’s clothing, he only had experience following orders to untie the fastenings of her undergarment trousers and the like. The Princess rarely had him remove everything, especially her upper garments. Even physical contact was limited—only when the Princess lifted him would he come into contact with her. So once again, he found himself fumbling. When he reached her shoulders while removing her outer robe, he feared offending the Princess or disturbing her rest, so he hesitated and couldn’t proceed further. He gave up on the next layer, again stopping at the shoulders. By the time he reached the innermost layer, it was a pinkish-white undergarment top, its embroidered patterns stretched taut over her full curves. The delicate stitches stood out prominently over the raised areas, drawing the eye.
His shadow completely enveloped the Princess, and Guan Xuan’s face flushed red. When he had held the Princess earlier, his thoughts had never wandered in this direction, but now he couldn’t help but recall the moments during their journey when his chest had brushed against hers. Even more terrifying were the constant memories of how he had grabbed and kneaded her the moment the Princess woke up in the morning. Guan Xuan averted his gaze, and the clamor around him grew distant and indistinct.
The subtle sensations on her body ceased. Zhao Rongzhang half-opened her eyes and saw Little Mute’s delicate, pinkish neck flushing a deeper shade of red, his gaze drifting off to somewhere unknown. She glanced down at herself, noticing her clothes piled on her shoulders, then propped her head up and instructed, “Lift my shoulders to undress me. If you don’t even dare to touch me now, how will you manage later?”
Guan Xuan clenched his palms, glanced at her briefly, then averted his eyes again. The Princess had grown increasingly unrestrained in her speech since coming to the common folk, picking up all sorts of vulgar phrases. He didn’t dare look at her. When he grasped her shoulders, he focused only on them, watching as this fair, rounded shoulder was freed from layers of fabric. Once one shoulder was exposed, there was still the other. Guan Xuan’s long fingers curled around her underarms. Compared to him, the Princess’s frame was slender and petite, and this grip felt as though he were holding her entirely. Steadying her body this way, he freed the other shoulder as well.
Zhao Rongzhang was gently laid back down. This Little Mute was too meticulous and slow in his tasks—something as simple as removing two pieces of clothing could burn through half a candle’s worth of time. She reminded him impatiently, “Staying here for one night costs three hundred wen, and two buckets of hot water cost fifteen wen. Time is money, and I’m very poor right now, you know?”
Guan Xuan was still searching for the knot of her Undergarment Top when the Princess’s words threw his movements into disarray. The Princess had always eaten and slept well since childhood, her body well-formed and thriving. Just moments ago, when he held her underarms, half his palm had brushed against its edge. He had nowhere to place his hands without accidentally grazing her. As he tried to undo the knot beneath her ribs, his wrist bone brushed against the center. Guan Xuan immediately lifted his wrist, but in his peripheral vision, the Princess straightened her snow-white neck, and the stretched fabric of the Undergarment Top drew closer to his hand once more.
Once the knot was undone, Guan Xuan lifted the Undergarment Top, focusing all his attention on it as he folded it neatly and set it aside. Then, he moved to untie the Silk Skirt at her waist. He was far more familiar with the lower half of her body, having no reason to fumble, but the Princess had already lost patience, frowning as she waited. Guan Xuan lowered his lashes, leaning down as he had during their daytime travels, and gathered the Princess into his arms. His arms and body were already accustomed to her weight and shape, and as soon as he held her, that pure, tranquil feeling surged within him once more.
The Princess’s thoughts at that moment were equally pure—purely focused on desire. She realized that being undressed by someone stirred a different kind of pleasure within her, distinct from the satisfaction of watching others but sharing some similarities. She was quite curious to see what reactions Little Mute would display. If he was already like this just from removing a few pieces of clothing, how unrestrained would he become when things truly progressed?
Little Mute first placed her legs into the water, followed by her hips and waist. Then, he gently shifted her shoulders away from his chest, cradling her as he settled her against the edge of the tub. It had been two days since she last touched water, and as the waterline rose, a faint itch spread across her skin. Once the water covered everything below her neck, Zhao Rongzhang rested her arms on the edge of the tub, squinting in contentment. “Wash me clean. Don’t keep being afraid to touch me. You’re my most valued servant now—how can you accomplish anything if you’re so restrained?”
The Princess’s words were always unpleasant to hear, and a faint flicker of annoyance stirred within Guan Xuan once more. He wasn’t afraid—he truly wasn’t afraid.
If she wanted to be washed, then so be it.
Guan Xuan lowered his lashes and took hold of the Princess’s arm, soaking the cloth in water before scrubbing it over her skin. The earlier greenish grass stains had long been diluted by sweat and fabric, leaving only faint marks that could be wiped clean with a single pass of water. Guan Xuan was delighted to discover that the previously swollen red pimple had vanished. He continued scrubbing toward her elbow and wrist, where several others had also disappeared. He focused on searching for all the places on the Princess’s body that had been bitten by insects, feeling a surge of joy each time he found one gone, forgetting his earlier annoyance.
Little Mute was washing too lightly, haphazardly here and there—wasn’t he supposed to be quite skilled at bathing? Is this how he helps her wash? Zhao Rongzhang twisted her body. “Wash faster, and more carefully. Don’t you want to fuck me?” Urging him was one thing, but adding that last sentence caused Guan Xuan to remember his earlier annoyance again. The Princess’s mind was filled with nothing but these thoughts. He lathered Scented Soap onto his hands and began washing from her shoulders and neck, moving downward to cover her ribs.
When he truly covered her, after just a few rubs, the Princess finally stopped urging him and fell silent. Yet Guan Xuan realized he truly didn’t dare. At his core, he was a beast, a man of inherently base and unrestrained nature—how could he not want to fuck her? She thought he didn’t dare because he feared making a mistake, but in truth, he feared his own sinful thoughts. Once he began considering his own desires, was he still just a toy?
Once it began, the relationship between her and him would no longer be simply about playing and being played with. Had the Princess not considered this?